nuclear-news

Opposition to re-opening of Germany’s controversial nuclear waste dump

A phase-out of nuclear power has been planned for 2021, and eight of the country’s 17 reactors are currently due to cease output in 2018.

Germany’s Greens protest re-opening of nuclear waste dump, Deutsche Welle | 14.03.2010, After a ten year moratorium, exploration on the future of the Gorleben nuclear waste dump is to resume. The Green party and environmental leaders are protesting the decision.Environmentalists and member of the Green party responded with sharp criticism to reports that the German Environment Ministry would reopen talks on the future of the Gorleben nuclear waste dump.

Sharp criticism

The Green Party was outraged at the decision and accused the environment minister of having the interests of the nuclear industry closer to his heart than the safety and health of people.

“He’s following in the tradition of the previous administration, attempting to trick the people of Gorleben with tricks and targeted manipulation,” said Renate Kuenast, the leader of the Greens in the German parliament.

In the European Parliament, Green leader Rebecca Harms, a native of the Gorleben region, pledged to fight the minister’s decision. “We will use all our powers to block this cowardly decision,” said Harms.

Hot topic

Storage of nuclear waste is a controversial topic in Germany, where there is no definitive agreement on what constitutes a suitable disposal site. Convoys transporting waste to interim storage sites are regularly the targets of protesters Gorleben has been used as temporary repository for nuclear waste since 1983. The site became even more controversial after it was revealed that the German government under former Chancellor Helmut Kohl had suppressed scientific evidence against using the underground salt cavern for permanent nuclear waste storage…..A phase-out of nuclear power has been planned for 2021, and eight of the country’s 17 reactors are currently due to cease output in 2018.

Germany’s Greens protest re-opening of nuclear waste dump | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 14.03.2010

March 15, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Germany, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, radiation